THE FOREST INTERESTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 37 



daj's' work in spring and autumn would give them deciduous and 

 evergreen trees whicti would afford a storehouse of lumber, besides 

 great enjoj^ment to themselves and their families. 



John G. Barker spoke of the loss sustained in the death of 

 Elizur Wright, who was one of the most earnest promoters of the 

 Middlesex Fells project, and who had promised to the Garden 

 Committee (of which the speaker is Chairman) a brief history of 

 the Fells. The Committee were surprised at the beauty and variety 

 of scener}' in the Fells, and Mr. Barker endorsed all that the 

 essayist had said in commendation of the project. If set apart as 

 a park it would not take many years to produce timber enough to 

 pa^' all expenses. We are apt to think it takes a longer time to 

 get retuins from tree planting than it really does. Mr. Barker 

 spoke of a recent visit to the estate in LiXnn. planted by the 

 late Hon. Richard S. Fay not a great many years ago ; where the 

 larch trees had to be thinned out, and a great number were sold 

 to the telephone company for poles, and smaller ones were sold for 

 fuel. He was surprised at the returns made in so short a time. 

 He also spoke of a visit to the estate of Major Ben : Perley Poore 

 in West Newbury, by the Garden Committee, who could bear 

 witness to what had been done in restoring a growth of wood to 

 what was once a barren hill. The growth of wood gave evidence 

 that land now unproductive can be made profitable by tree plant- 

 ing. A pond on the top of this hill, which was formerly dry, now 

 always has water in it. In Lynn, where the speaker resides, they 

 have a Forestry Society which was formed with the purpose of 

 purchasing and holding on to natural forests ; the society" has now 

 not far from a hundred acres, some of which has been donated to 

 it, and in other cases the owners have met the Societ}^ generously. 

 These things show that people are becoming aware of the impor- 

 tance of forest planting, and the speaker hoped this society would 

 take part in the movement. In Pine Grove Cemeter}^ of which he 

 is superintendent, there is a stratum of the best loam under rocks, 

 and it is not much work to remove some of these and plant small 

 trees. Near the cemeter}' there is a piece of ground producing 

 birches, which if it had been planted fifteen years ago with 

 larches would before now have paid an income over the taxes. 



Hon. Marshall P. Wilder commended with all his heart every 

 effort for the planting of forest or other trees. Mr. Strong's essay 

 was a most able and instructive paper, and the speaker approved 



